Rafael Nadal eyes second title in Beijing since 2005

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Europe

World No.1 Rafael Nadal entered the ATP China Open hoping to win the title for first time since lifting the trophy in 2005. Twelve years on, a renewed Spaniard didn’t show his age on the court, making light work of second round opponent Karen Khachanov in Beijing on Thursday.

Nadal, chasing his sixth title of the season, was the same player the 31-year-old defeated on Center Court during the third round of Wimbledon in July, and there was a similar outcome as the "King of Clay" came through in straight sets. The world No.1 and top seed held his nerve throughout to triumph 6-3,6-3 in a match lasting only 89 minutes.

Rafael Nadal against Karen Khachanov during the Men's singles 2rd round of 2017 China Open. /VCG Photo

"I have been to a lot of places that bring me good luck and Beijing is among one of them. I won the Olympic medal here in 2008 Beijing Olympics. I am happy about the game today, I played a solid match," said Nadal.

The Mallorcan is enjoying a late-career flourish, having come back from a long-time injury battle and has overtaken the ATP No. 1 ranking spot from Andy Murray. It made him the player with the longest time span between spells as the best in the world.

"I am glad that I have the chance to be back to the top on the tour. I didn’t think about winning Slams or being world number one. I was just thinking about do my work in the best way that I can do and let's see if that's enough to be competitive every week," Nadal told CGTN in an exclusive interview during China Open.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of Team Europe in action during Laver Cup in Prague, Czech Republic. /VCG Photo‍

Old rivals Nadal and Roger Federer have split the slam titles this year, and now the two are in close contention at the top of the ATP rankings. But earlier this month, the pair teamed up in an eagerly anticipated doubles pairing to extend Europe's lead over players from the rest of the world in the inaugural Laver Cup.

"I have very positive feeling, it was an unforgettable moment and was an emotional day for, I enjoyed that very much, and I think he [Federer] also enjoyed it well," the Spaniard said.

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